


Joyfully yours, Davenport

by stonestars



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Magnus shows up breifly, post s&s, their relationship is kind of ambiguous
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-10
Updated: 2018-05-10
Packaged: 2019-05-04 21:17:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14601891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stonestars/pseuds/stonestars
Summary: It takes two days-- forty-eight hours, give or take-- from the time they defeat the Hunger, from the time echoes of celebration spread across the world and seven tired travellers found their journey finally over, for Davenport to approach Merle.At first, it’s because everything is so crazy.Then, it’s because he has no idea what to say.





	Joyfully yours, Davenport

**Author's Note:**

  * For [transdavenport](https://archiveofourown.org/users/transdavenport/gifts).



> A (late) birthday fic for Myles, who is like the only reason I could even make an attempt at writing Davenport in the first place. Sorry this ended up like... over a week late ;^^  
> I hope you enjoy!!

It takes two days-- forty-eight hours, give or take-- from the time they defeat the Hunger, from the time echoes of celebration spread across the world and seven tired travellers found their journey finally over, for Davenport to approach Merle.

At first, it’s because everything is so crazy. They appear in front of Lup and Barry, in front of an army of people that Davenport recognizes-- Angus is there, Carey and Killian, Lucas, everyone.

They appear, and Davenport steps towards Lup and Barry at the same time that Lucretia does, and his heart is beating like crazy in his chest because they-- they’ve  _ won. _

Celebration explodes from the army in front of them, and Davenport is caught in a whirlwind of people. He shakes Barry’s hand with a firm handshake, trying not to let his eyes well up with tears as he thinks about how long it’s been since he had a moment with all of them, or, well… 

He’s trying desperately not to think about the years before this, the years where he was stuck and unable to communicate anything but his name-- the years where he watched Lucretia building an organization out of lies, but a strong organization all the same, the years he watched Lucretia breaking under the pressure and forcing herself to go on, the years he spent by her side, unable to do anything, as she sometimes apologized and usually looked at him with so much pity in her eyes that the thought, now, makes his skin crawl.

He doesn’t look at Lucretia much that day. 

He doesn’t talk much either-- he’s almost surprised that he  _ can _ . As things begin to settle down and everyone is mulling around, talking to each other and celebrating their victory, Angus approaches him. The young detective’s eyes are full of wonder, asking him what it was  _ like _ to fly the Starblaster, what it was  _ like _ to be the captain of a mission like that, and he almost forgets he can answer. 

When he remembers, it’s with a quiet smile as he puts a hand on Angus’s shoulder and says “I’ll-- I’ll tell you about it some-- some other time, okay?” 

Angus’s eyes light up, and he nods enthusiastically. “Of course, Davenport-- sir,” he says, an eager smile on his face. “When things calm down, right.”

Davenport nods, smiles, and watches as Angus runs off across the room to talk to Taako and Lup again.

The day passes in a blur. 

Before Davenport realizes it, it’s late at night, and he’s sitting in Taako, Merle, and Magnus’s room with the three of them and Lup and Barry-- Lucretia is, notably, absent. 

They’re talking and reminiscing and Davenport finds himself laughing and-- 

He realizes that he doesn’t remember the last time he laughed-- really, fully laughed-- the others, his  _ family, _ laughing around him as well. 

Lup cracks a joke at Taako and they explode into laughter again, and Davenport, though he glances across the circle at Merle, is content to just spend time as a group.

\--

Then, it’s because he has no idea what to say.

During the century they spent together, there was rarely a time when Davenport  _ needed  _ to say something and didn’t know what to say. 

There were times when he didn’t know what to say, but during those times he never  _ needed _ to say anything. Merle just… understood.

But now, he feels like there’s something he  _ does _ need to say. And he finds himself standing in front of the door to Magnus, Merle, and Taako’s room, hesitating.

He can’t hesitate for long, as Magnus opens the door so quickly and suddenly that Davenport jumps back a bit. “I’m telling you, Taako just--” Magnus is saying, but stops mid-sentence when he sees Davenport. “Cap’n’port? What’s up?” Magnus asks.

“Uh, hi Magnus,” Davenport says. “Is Merle here?”

Magnus blinks at him. “Merle? Yeah, I mean, he’s here.”

“Can I-- Can I speak to him?” Davenport asks. 

“Of course, come on in,” Magnus says, waving him in and shutting the door behind him.

Davenport steps into Taako, Magnus, and Merle’s quarters a little awkwardly. He’s been here before, of course, but he freezes a little as he looks over at the doorway to Merle’s room. 

“Merle,” Magnus calls, “Cap’n’s here to see you.”

Merle pokes his head out of his room, smiling a little when he sees Davenport. “Well, what are ‘ya waiting for,” he says, gesturing into his room for Davenport to come in. “I’ve got cards for Yooker somewhere around here.”

Davenport hesitates again before stepping into Merle’s room. He’s not really sure what to say.

Merle begins to rummage around in a drawer. “Say, Dav,” he says. “Everything that happened really did a number on ya, huh?”

Davenport blinks at him. “Uh-- I mean, yeah… yeah you could say that.” He sighs, sitting on the very edge of Merle’s bed. “I’m even less sure of-- of what I want to do now than I was before all of this.”

Merle finds the cards he’d been looking for and holds them up triumphantly, waving for Davenport to follow him back out to the shared living area. Magnus is gone, and there’s no sign of Taako as Merle walks over to the table in their quarters, sitting down and beginning to shuffle the cards.

He smiles a little. “Y’know, I think I might go back to the beach,” Merle says as Davenport sits down across from him. 

“You don’t want to-- you’re not staying here?”

Merle shakes his head, dealing Davenport his cards. “Nah,” he says. “Everything here is always the same, y’know? I wanna be somewhere where things  _ aren’t _ constant, where things are always changing. And things are always changing at the beach.” He smiles. “It’s nice there.”

Davenport nods and looks over his cards. 

“What about you?” Merle asks, looking at him over his hand of cards. “Are you going to stay?”

Davenport looks down. “I don’t-- I don’t  _ know _ , Merle.” He sighs. “I don’t want-- I don’t have anywhere to go  _ but _ here. I don’t have a place to-- to make a home.”

Merle is quiet for a minute as they play. Then; “You want to settle down, then?”

Davenport frowns at him. “I mean… I don’t have anywhere  _ to _ settle down, Merle, that’s-- that’s the point,” he says with a sigh. 

“But, Dav,” Merle says. “Who says you  _ need _ to settle down?”

“What else would I  _ do _ , Merle? We-- it’s finally time for us to… to have normal lives, right? Our mission was… it was my life, for so long. And especially now I just-- I don’t  _ know _ what to do.”

Merle turns over a card calmly, glancing up at Davenport. “Your life isn’t a normal life, none of ours are,” he says. “They never will be, not really. But normal lives suck, anyway.” He smiles a little. “You’re a captain, aren’t you?”

Davenport stares at him. “What do you mean?”

“I  _ mean _ you don’t have to find a home somewhere,” Merle says, rearranging the cards in his hand. “You’re a captain-- get a ship. Travel the world. Who cares about settlin’ down when you can move from one town to the next as you please?” He looks up from his hand and winks.  “Visit sometimes, though.”

“You’re saying I could-- I could just pack up and travel?”

“I’m saying what’s stopping ya?”

Davenport thinks for a moment. “I hadn’t-- I mean, I hadn’t thought about it. Jesus, Merle, there are so many things I haven’t thought about. Where would-- where would I even begin?”

Merle shrugs. “Get a ship,” he says. 

“I never even-- I haven’t had the chance to  _ see _ this world,” Davenport continues, “I know almost nothing about it and we-- we  _ saved _ it.”

“So then learn about it,” Merle replies. “That’s life! If you don’t know, learn, y’know? I don’t know a lot of things, and look at me,” he continues with a smile. “Apparently, I saved the world!”

“You think… you think I could do it?”

“I think you’d be a lot happier out there then hanging around here,” Merle says. “But maybe I’m wrong, after all, I’m just--”

“No, no you’re-- you’re right,” Davenport says. “I’ll…” he looks up at Merle, a smile growing on his face. “Yeah, I think-- I think I will do that-- travel, that is.” 

Merle smiles back. “There’s the Captain I know,” he says. “Now, shall we  _ actually _ play this game?”

Davenport looks back down at his cards and nods. “I’d-- I’d like that,” he says.

Merle winks at him and turns over a card.

-

It’s a little over a week since Davenport has left on his ship when Merle checks his mail to see a postcard sitting at the top of the stack. 

He turns it over with a smile, recognizing Davenport’s handwriting, and pauses by his mailbox to read the letter. 

It talks about all the things Davenport has seen in his week at sea, and the joy that Merle can feel from Davenport while reading the card brings a smile to his face, as does the way it ends.

_ Thank you, Merle. I’ll stay in touch. _

_ Joyfully yours, Davenport. _


End file.
